I'm going back to work next week and a babysitter will have to feed DD with pumped milk. I know this is a formula forum but I figured you were the bottle experts!

I've tried tons of brands: Avent, Dr. Brown, Playtex Drop ins (with latex nipple), Playtex Ventair, Tommee Tippee, mOmma, Breastflow. Nothing seems to work. She either tries to chew on the nipple with her gums or when she sucks she doesn't get a good latch and sucks in tons of air. I've tried having my husband feed her with a bottle but his definition of a successful feed is milk leaving the bottle, even if most of the milk ends up on her shirt and she sucks more air than milk!

Any suggestions? Is it just a matter of picking one and letting her figure it out? I don't know what else to try. It's making the thought of going back to work even harder.

Have you tried the Playtex Ventaire? I tried all that you listed as well and that was the only one I had good success with. DS2 will not accept a bottle from me or if he knows I'm around. I would suggest leaving the house for a couple hours and letting them try and work it out. It took my son about a week before he got it. He's now back to refusing the bottle Monday mornings, but he's over 20 lbs at five months so something is working.

My baby only liked the Medela bottles. They even sent me one free to try because I had bought so many others. I called them and explained what I had used and they said I would have one with in the week.

We use a wide mouth Nuk...fits Avent bottles, so I was able to jsut buy a 2 pack of nipples for under $5 and use with the Avents I already owned. We just make sure to insert it far enough in her mouth...so the wide part is in her mouth too, not just the nipple.

I was in the same situation! Now We use wide NUK nipples, and began with narrow NUK nipples. Those were the only ones she would take. Pacis also from the same brand. In Europe NUK brand is especially recommended for NB and mixed feeding (BF and bottle feeding).

I totally get how frustrating it is to have a baby that won't take bottles. My DS2 actually did okay the first month or two I was back to work (we did not offer a bottle until I actually went to work), but then slowing started rejecting bottles (would sometimes take as little as 2oz while I was at work all day), and flat out refused milk from an artificial container by 8-9 months I think. He was still not eating well at that point. It was extremely stressing for me. But baby just made up for not taking milk while I was at work, by nursing like a fiend while I was home in the evening and during the night. He is a happy healthy 16mo now (and still nurses like a fiend when I get home).

I am sure that your DD and the babysitter will work things out, and she will not starve. You may also want to look into spoon or cup feeding as well in case she flat out refuses all bottle nipples.

Thanks everyone. She's spent a few days at the babysitter and I ended up trying a fast flow nipple so basically the sitter can pour a little milk into her mouth and let her swallow it. So kind of spoon feeding a bit I guess, just with a bottle. Hopefully this works.